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WASHINGTON – While Barack Obama is basking in praise for his "decisive" handling of the Somali pirate attack on a merchant ship in the India Ocean, reliable military sources close to the scene are painting a much different picture of the incident – accusing the president of employing restrictive rules of engagement that actually hampered the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips and extended the drama at sea for days.

Multiple opportunities to free the captain of the Maersk Alabama from three young pirates were missed, these sources say – all because a Navy SEAL team was not immediately ordered to the scene and then forced to operate under strict, non-lethal rules of engagement.

They say the response duty office at the Pentagon was initially unwilling to grant an order to use lethal force to rescue Phillips. They also report the White House refused to authorize deployment of a Navy SEAL team to the location for 36 hours, despite the recommendation of the on-scene commander.

The White House also turned down two rescue plans offered up by the Seal commander on the scene and the captain of the USS Bainbridge.
The SEAL team operated under rules of engagement that required them to do nothing unless the hostage's life was in "imminent' danger.

In fact, when the USS Bainbridge dispatched a rigid-hull inflatable boat to bring supplies to the Maersk Alabama, it came under fire that could not be returned even though the SEAL team had the pirates in their sights.
Many hours before the fatal shots were fired, taking out the three young pirates, Phillips jumped into the Indian Ocean with the idea of giving the snipers a clear target. However, the SEAL team was still under orders not to shoot.

Hours later, frustrated by the missed opportunities to resolve the standoff, the commander of the Bainbridge and the captain of the Navy SEAL team determined they had operational authority to evaluate the risk to the hostage, and took out the pirates at the first opportunity – finally freeing Phillips.

The G2 Bulletin report was authored by Joseph Farah, founder and editor of WND, and a veteran newsman with extensive military sources developed over the last 30 years.

But, I would be very curious to know how many times that requests for authorization were turned down first ... it never should have been allowed to get this far in the first place.

While I have my doubts about WND, I'm NOT to surprised to hear something like this at all.

Originally Posted by BrianW

Thank God, that if this incident did have to occur, that it happened now while our forces still have funds for the manpower, arms & training. How many of the teams are going to end up cut or not have the equipment to train with in the upcoming budgets? What happens when ships like the Bainbridge are going to be forced to sit in port like so many cops at a donut shop and take even longer to get on the scene?

I guess it won't matter if Obama won't use the tools he has available.

Could it be that Hillary was actually right in the campaign regarding the 3 AM phone call scenario?

Last edited by BrianW; 04-20-2009 at 12:50 PM.

"It's not that government is inherently stupid, although that's a debatable question."
Rand Paul CPAC speech 2011

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. Thomas Jefferson to Archibald Stuart, 1791
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WASHINGTON – While Barack Obama is basking in praise for his "decisive" handling of the Somali pirate attack on a merchant ship in the India Ocean, reliable military sources close to the scene are painting a much different picture of the incident – accusing the president of employing restrictive rules of engagement that actually hampered the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips and extended the drama at sea for days.

Any time I see a reporter who uses a first hand account then refuses to name his source my BS detector immediately goes off. There are just to many scenarious where this can be abused and that to put 100% trust in it is foolish. (Accusing the president of employing restrictive rules of engagement )This is standard operating procedure during the early phases of any hostage situation. Nothing telling in that.

Multiple opportunities to free the captain of the Maersk Alabama from three young pirates were missed, these sources say all because a Navy SEAL team was not immediately ordered to the scene and then forced to operate under strict, non-lethal rules of engagement.

They say the response duty office at the Pentagon was initially unwilling to grant an order to use lethal force to rescue Phillips. They also report the White House refused to authorize deployment of a Navy SEAL team to the location for 36 hours, despite the recommendation of the on-scene commander.

The White House also turned down two rescue plans offered up by the Seal commander on the scene and the captain of the USS Bainbridge.
The SEAL team operated under rules of engagement that required them to do nothing unless the hostage's life was in "imminent' danger.

In fact, when the USS Bainbridge dispatched a rigid-hull inflatable boat to bring supplies to the Maersk Alabama, it came under fire that could not be returned even though the SEAL team had the pirates in their sights.
Many hours before the fatal shots were fired, taking out the three young pirates, Phillips jumped into the Indian Ocean with the idea of giving the snipers a clear target. However, the SEAL team was still under orders not to shoot.

Hours later, frustrated by the missed opportunities to resolve the standoff, the commander of the Bainbridge and the captain of the Navy SEAL team determined they had operational authority to evaluate the risk to the hostage, and took out the pirates at the first opportunity – finally freeing Phillips.

To read this last paragraph you would think that the Captain acted alone and decided a pre-emptive strike was the way to go. From all the news accounts I read (with sources named) the Captain was authorized to use lethal force in event the hostage was in immediate danger. That came from the White House and is well known. I find it highly unlikely from the beginning of this hostage crisis that lethal force would not have been authorized and proper given the circumstances.

". . .Carter agonized over whether to rescue American hostages in Tehran. According to Charlie Beckwith, the commander of Delta Force in charge of the mission, he informed Carter's point man, Warren Christopher, that in the rescue effort "anyone who is holding a hostage, we intend to shoot him, and shoot him right between the eyes. We intend to shoot him twice." Christopher was stunned, according to Beckwith. "Would you consider shooting them in the leg, or in the ankle or the shoulder?"

Here's a tear-jerker for you Obomo lovers: The mammy of the remaining pirate is begging Obomo to release her boy because he's underage and "he didn't do nuffin". Too bad they don't have schools in Somalia so the media can't portray the murderous thieving thug as an honor student and aspiring rapper. Since Somalia is conveniently a cesspool with no functioning government it's very easy for someone to step forward, pretend to be the mother of this little thug and claim he's underage.

Mrs Hassan told the BBC's Somali service: "I am requesting the American government, I am requesting President Obama to release my child. He has got nothing to do with the pirates' crime.
"He is a minor; he is under-age and he has been used for this crime. I also request from the US, if they choose to put him on trial, I want them to invite me there."

Translation: she's appealing to our hAfrican president to release the man because we can't prove he's old enough to stand trial, but oh, if we do go ahead and try him, would we mind paying for her and some of her kin to relocate here?

Here's a tear-jerker for you Obomo lovers: The mammy of the remaining pirate is begging Obomo to release her boy because he's underage and "he didn't do nuffin". Too bad they don't have schools in Somalia so the media can't portray the murderous thieving thug as an honor student and aspiring rapper. Since Somalia is conveniently a cesspool with no functioning government it's very easy for someone to step forward, pretend to be the mother of this little thug and claim he's underage.

Translation: she's appealing to our hAfrican president to release the man because we can't prove he's old enough to stand trial, but oh, if we do go ahead and try him, would we mind paying for her and some of her kin to relocate here?

Nuff' said.

One cannot reason someone out of something they were not reasoned into. - Jonathan Swift